Sonic Destiny: Project Kintobor
by Burning-Stars98
Summary: After months of absence, Sonic finally returns, but he's not the same. He's tired, weak and on the run. Enemies from his past are hunting him down, and if the heroes don't act fast, they may lose him for real. (Sequel to Battle for Home)(Rated T just in case)
1. Chapter 1

_**Only a few short months ago, the world was shaken to it's core by the attacks made by Dr. Eggman. Bombings set off all across the world have left several cities in shambles, and it could be years before all of the physical damage is repaired; emotional damage will most definitely take **_**much**_** longer.**_

_**Eggman's tyranny was finally put to an end by hero Sonic the Hedgehog, who willingly sacrificed himself to save us from this long-standing menace. He is currently missing in action, and there's no telling if or **_**when**_** he'll-**_

Amy Rose turned off the television, she knew all of this already. Sonic had been missing ever since the dark energies that had been poisoning him were finally expelled and he'd finally defeated his longtime enemy.

The last words he'd said were through Amy's communicator, those words being "Amy... I'm sorry..."

In those months, quite a bit had changed. The work to repair and rebuild was an ongoing process, and the heroes were still doing what they could around their neighborhoods and cities. Amy had been helping initially, before a little complication showed up...

A knock on the door pulled her attention from her thoughts, and she went to answer it. "Yes...?" She spoke as she opened the door.

"Good morning, Amy...I brought you something."

Amy's eyes lit up a little as she saw the girl standing on her porch, a small basket in hand. "...Hello, Cosmo."

Cosmo's wide smile lifted Amy's spirits for a moment. She'd been overjoyed that her friend had returned, and over time Cosmo had integrated into the neighborhood as well as any mobian would have.

Amy opened the door a little more, letting Cosmo enter the house. "You should have called first, I would have known to pick up after myself."

"It is a little less organized in here than I thought it would be, considering it's _your_ house."

"I've been busy lately."

"Trust me, I know." Cosmo picked up a pile of dirty dishes from the coffee table. "Let me help you clean up."

"You don't have to do that."

"From the looks of things, I _do_."

The seedrian walked to the kitchen and started to place the dishes into the dishwasher. "When was the last time you got out the house to just go shopping or something?"

"...A couple weeks ago."

"That's what I thought."

Amy sighed as she picked up some clothes strewn across the couch. "It's a mess out there. A lot of the roads I'd usually take are blocked off, storefronts shattered..."

Cosmo sighed, "I know... When Tails told me what had happened, I almost couldn't imagine something like this happening here... But we can't let it take us down, that's what Dr. Eggman _wanted_ to happen."

"Yeah, well he at least got _one_ thing he wanted..."

Cosmo paused in her loading, "...Don't blame Sonic, Amy. He'll come back to us, I know it."

"It's been almost five months... Where in the world is he...?"

As she tossed the clothes into the washer, a soft cry from down the hall caught her attention, and she abandoned her task to respond. "I'm coming, baby...!"

She stepped into the spare bedroom, rushing over to the cradle and pulling the tiny hedgehog into her arms. "Shh...Shh... It's okay, Mommy's here..."

Amy had initially been terrified when she'd discovered she was pregnant, mostly because she knew it wasn't Sonic's. During her captivity, she'd heard Eggman say somehing about working on his legacy project, and now she held that legacy in her arms.

Other than the auburn fur and quills that matched Eggman's mustache, her son looked completely hedgehog, and her doctor had estimated that the time of conception predated Amy's capture, which meant that he'd probably started out in a test tube with her being an unwilling surrogate.

In the weeks that passed, she began to see the child as her own, and even more so when he bore hardly any resemblance to her captor. He wouldn't be Eggman's successor...He'd be her son, and she'd raise him to be such. She'd finally been able to hold him in her arms two weeks ago, and she'd been in love ever since.

"It's okay, Remy..." she whispered, settling down in the chair. "...I'm always going to be here... I promise..."

"You're adorable, Amy."

Cosmo grinned as she peeked into the nursery. "He's in excellent hands."

"I'm glad you think so... I just hope Sonic can accept it when he gets back..."

* * *

The cold morning wind whipped around Sonic the Hedgehog as he stood there, overlooking the churning sea through the mist. A thick cloak was wrapped around him, providing some warmth from the chilly dawn.

The Missing Isle had been his home for the past few months, a whole other world untouched by the chaos that no doubt reigned beyond the mist. It was like a ghost, disappearing and reappearing around the world without a dicernable pattern. Some believed it had a soul of its own, and you could only find it if it wanted you to.

Sonic and Tails had stumbled across it years before while on a test-flight for some modifications Tails had placed on the Tornado, and while they'd befriended the locals and had a great time, Sonic had expected to never see it again. And yet... Somehow after he'd defeated Eggman, he woke up here.

Those first few days had been hard. He'd been on the island a week before that, held within the depths of his subconscious where he befriended the manifestations of his super and werehog form. When he'd finally come to, he couldn't even sit up on his own. One of the locals he'd met before had found him and brought him back to her home with the Leplins, a race related to the Chao, but more advanced in their civilization in the fact that they built their own houses and made their own clothes.

Mairead was kind and helped him regain his strength, but even so, he knew he wasn't back to normal. His fur remained indigo from the poison, his speed was still far from what it once was, and he couldn't run for more than a few mintues without getting woozy. He wasn't ready to be back out protecting the world...But he couldn't stay away any longer.

His eyes shifted downward as he felt a slight twinge in his body, and then a glowing ghost-like shape appeared beside him, bright and glittering gold. "...I know what you're thinking, Sandy."

_I know you know, but I'm gonna say it anyway... You need more time to heal._

"I can't keep hiding... Amy's out there, probably worried sick, and I've been hiding here instead of going to her when she needs me the most!"

Sonic squinted his eyes shut tightly as he shivered, "...I need to go home."

_...What about your deal?_

Sonic sighed as he gave a shrug, "...I don't know about that. I'll deal with it when I come to it."

The edges of Sandy's body shifted to a soft blue, the spirit rubbing his arms. _I just don't want you to get hurt..._

It had taken Sonic a little bit of time to uncover the different colorings that his new friend took on occasion; though normally a golden hue like his super form, whenever he felt a particularly strong emotion, the colors would change. He'd never seen Sandy go entirely a different color, but there had been a few times when only a small orb in his chest would remain gold.

"We'll be careful... I promised myself that I would come home to them, and I will."

The blue faded, and Sandy stood up straight again. _Well...If you're going to do this, then as your protective spirit, it is my mission to make sure you get there safely._

"Ah'm sorry to hear ye're leaving, Sonic..."

Sonic turned to face Mairead, a few leplins hovering around her as she came up to him. "But Ah noo how important this is to you."

"It is important, Mairead... I'll be okay, really."

Mairead took his hands and squeezed them gently, "May the spirits guide you on yur wae, hero. Ah will git you a boot off the isle."

Sonic smiled, and then looked back out across the ocean. "Hold on, Amy...I'm on my way."

* * *

**In case you didn't know, Scottish accents are hard to write...**


	2. Chapter 2

"One-Hundred, thirty-seven days...Hundreds of scans, dozens of hours sifting through news articles and photos...Where _are_ you, Sonic?"

Tails brought his third cup of coffee to his lips, grimacing as he found it had gone cold. He didn't sleep much these days; how _could_ he? His best friend was missing and he might be the only person who could find him.

Cosmo had gone that morning to check in on Amy, leaving Tails alone with his equipment. The corkboard in his workshop, usually adorned by photos of friends and family, was now covered in pushpins and strings like a mad conspirator's. Photos, maps, possible locations, all strung together in an erratic pattern across the board. His desk was covered in clutter that he'd been too busy to clear off, he hadn't showered in several days... He'd thrown himself full force into finding Sonic and coordinating ongoing relief efforts.

Tails opened the window, dumping the cold coffee outside before plopping back down on his chair. He rested his head down on the desk with a groan; Chaos, he was exhausted...

"Rough morning?"

Tails' head snapped up again as a voice spoke from behind him, and he just about fell out of his chair turning around. "S-Shadow!" He stammered, catching himself on the desk. "...Hi."

"Hello, Prower." Shadow looked around the workshop, "...Looks like you've been working hard."

Tails sighed, "I would take a nap, but then I might miss something... The Chaos scanner's on almost twenty-four seven, but it'll only give us a ping if he uses his chaos abilities."

Shadow nodded slowly as he overlooked the screens, "Which he doesn't use as much as me or Silver..."

"What about you? How's it going being in charge of all of GUN?"

Shadow gave a sigh of relief, leaning back against the Tornado. "Tower should be cleared to return to duty in a few days... And then I get a chance to go back to field missions, thank Chaos."

"You never _did_ seem to be a cubicle-person."

"Not at all..." Shadow overlooked the corkboard, "Calls are constantly coming in with updates on the relief efforts; Station Square's almost got all of the main roads cleared."

"That's good...That really just leaves Sonic..."

There was a long moment of silence, before Shadow finally spoke up again. "...Is it possible he's not even here?"

"What do you mean?"

"When the Metarex attacked, Sonic sent all of the Chaos Emeralds off into space. Eggman's ship was in orbit, so... Do you think Sonic might've been jettisoned off-world too?"

"I sure hope not." Tails got up from the desk, wincing at how stiff his legs had gotten from sitting in the chair so long. "If he was, then we might _never_ find him." He gave a sigh and shook his head, "...I'm doing everything I can think of to find him, and it's...It's not _enough_."

"You'll find him, Prower. I can't let myself believe he's gone forever either, as much as he drove me up a wall in the past."

A rare smile appeared on Tails' lips, "Yeah...He has that effect on people."

"You checked on Amy lately?"

"Cosmo's over there now. She's better at comforting her than I am..." Tails returned to his desk, overlooking the files and findings he'd been studying. "...One clue is all I need. He wants to be found, I'm sure of it. I just need a breakthrough..."

"You need a _break_, is what you need."

Shadow looked around the workshop and then gestured to the X-Tornado out on the runway. "When was the last time you flew, Prower? There used to be a time when I never saw you_ not_ in the cockpit of that thing."

"I know... I miss it..."

"Then go. I'll keep an eye on the scanner for you."

"Seriously?"

"I may be able to go for a long time without rest, but even I need to step away from work for a few minutes and just let loose."

Tails was still for a moment, and then nodded. "Call me if you get anything."

"Of course."

Tails hurried out of the workshop, and Shadow took a seat at the desk, overlooking the papers himself. News reports from all over the world, satellite images, radio transmissions... Tails truly hadn't been missing any form of information gathering. Shadow was almost impressed with the little fox.

Tails overlooked the X-Tornado to ensure no maintenance wasn't needed, and then hopped into the cockpit. The familiar controls welcomed his grip, and he felt some of the stress begin to melt away as he started it up. "...Just a quick circle around town, and then right back."

* * *

The boat taking Sonic from the Missing Isle was tiny and barely noticable as it wandered across the sea. Another trait that suggested a sentience to the Isle was that whenever someone left the isle, it was always not too far from one of the landmasses. It could be in the middle of the Tundran Sea one moment, and as soon as the boat left port, the boat was just an hour out from Eurish.

Sonic sat huddled on the deck, his cloak wrapped around his shoulders as the boat tossed and turned in the waves.

"You doin' okay, Boy!?" The captain hollered from the helm.

"This is why I hate being on the water...!" Sonic moaned, trying to hold down the breakfast he'd hastily scarfed down before departing.

"Ya git used to it after while!"

"Sure...!"

Sonic pulled the cloak tighter around him and didn't look out over the water. His finger fiddled with the object hanging from a chain around his neck, spinning it around in a circle.

It wasn't the fanciest, but it was unique and made by the Isle's metalsmiths during his time there. He wasn't sure if it was a waste of time; he hoped it wasn't. He'd had a lot of time to think, and he hoped Amy hadn't moved on...

_That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard._

Sonic rolled his eyes as Sandy interrupted his thoughts, _You two have been playing a game of tag that's lasted a decade. She could live for eternity and not move on from you._

"Gee, thanks for the pep-talk, Glitterbutt."

"What was that, Boy!?" The captain hollered.

"Nothing!" Sonic assured, pulling his hood over his quills. _You think she'll think it's weird that I'm talking to myself all the time?_

_...Yeah, probably._

_You're not much help in the encouragement department, Sandy._

_I know._

Sonic sighed, clenching down as a particularly large wave rattled the boat. "Just a little bit longer...!"

With the fog surrounding them, it was hard to tell exactly where they would end up docking, but shortly after, Sonic's ears pricked at the sound of a harbor. "Finally... Solid ground...!"

He heard Sandy giggle, and then the hedgehog forced himself up onto his feet to look for the shore. The silhouettes of other ships appeared, bobbing in the waves side by side, and finally Sonic caught sight of a flag flying over them. "Londoon..."

It had been some time since he'd been here as well, and last he'd heard, a friend of his had been hurt protecting it from Eggman's bombs. It was also all that remained of a world he'd once saved, Amanda being one of the few survivors still remaining thanks to a spell turning her to stone for centuries.

As the boat came into port, Sonic stumbled clear of it and landed clumsily on the dock, just grateful to be on something solid again. Sandy was laughing in his head, but he didn't even care.

"Good to see you, Sonic..."

Sonic looked up to the hand held out, looking at a face that was almost identical to someone else he knew. "Venice... You knew I was coming?"

The gray hedgehog smirked, using his other hand to tap his head. "I got the stronger telepathy and weaker telekinesis, remember?"

"Flip-Flopped from Silver, I remember..."

Sonic remembered the first time the two had met. Eggman had attempted to clone Silver in an effort to level the playing field, but Venice had managed to escape before Eggman could input his evilness into him and make him loyal to him. Venice had been found by Silver first, and with help from all of them, Venice had forged his own life elsewhere.

Sonic took his hand and allowed him to pull him up onto his feet, "You talked to Silver lately?"

"A few nights ago. He was finishing up work in Empire City cleanup... You okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine." Sonic lied, knowing that Venice wouldn't believe him. "I'm just a little seasick."

"Uh huh...Come on, we'll get you back to the house and cleaned up. You look like you could use a decent meal and a nap."

Sonic smirked, letting the other hedgehog lead the way. His smirk faded as he thought about his friend again, "...How's Mandie?"

Venice smiled, "She's awake and doing much better... It'll be a few more weeks before she's cleared for work though."

"Digging up artifacts isn't that much work, is it?"

"When you're spending all day standing up and squatting down in tight spaces, yeah it is. But she loves finding leftover remnants of her old culture; she says it makes her feel close with her parents again... But that first find will always be her favorite."

"Oh yeah, your housemate. I _knew_ there was a reason why I didn't come over here that often..."

Venice chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Oh come on, Cal's not that bad."

"You didn't have to listen to him call you 'Knave' for two weeks! _Trust_ me, the novelty of having a talking sword will wear off..."


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Cosmo was finished with Amy's house, it was practically spotless. All of the dishes were washed, the laundry folded and put away, and every flat surface wiped and dusted.

Amy had gotten Remy to sleep again, and then the two had started a quiet conversation over tea and cookies Cosmo had made.

"You really don't need to feel like you need to be my maid, Cosmo." Amy insisted, "I am capable of doing my own housework."

Cosmo's smile could have coaxed a flower to bloom for her, "I haven't been around to help you all, and I want to make up for it. I like helping people, Amy. Helping people is what I was called to even as a seedling!"

"Your calling was to save the galaxy from Dark Oak, not from my dirty laundry pile."

Cosmo's smile faded just a little as she sipped her tea, "...I still hear his voice sometimes... Like he's not really gone."

"You think he'll be back?"

"No...He seems at peace now." Cosmo placed her cup down, "...Just like you should be. Just because your life is hectic, doesn't mean your soul should be."

"I just can't stop thinking about him, Cosmo! He was... He was the one, I just know it. But how calm he was going into that fight... It was almost like he wasn't expecting to come back out of there alive."

"I think being at peace with one's own mortality is a good thing... If we spend our entire lives trying not to put ourselves at risk to help people, if we constantly live in fear...It's not truly living."

Amy sighed, "I guess you're right..."

Her ears perked up as the phone rang, and she rushed to answer it before it woke up Remy. "Rose Residence...!" She greeted quickly.

**Amy? It's Venice. You remember who I am, yes?**

"I remember, Venice...What's up? How's Amanda?"

**She's fine... There's someone who was wanting to talk to you and didn't have your number- No you ****_didn't_****! I called the wrong number****_ twice_**** because of you, Dingwad!**

Amy rolled her eyes, "Put them on, I guess..."

She fiddled with her skirt as she heard the phone being passed on to the person who'd wanted to speak with her. There was a long pause of her just hearing them breathe, and then a voice whispered from the other end that made her freeze.

**...A-Amy, I just wanted to-**

Amy gasped as her grip on the phone loosened and it almost hit the floor before she caught it and pulled it back up to her ear. "Sonic!?"

Cosmo stood up, her eyes as wide as Amy's as she rushed to her friend's side.

**S-Sorry! I haven't talked on the phone in a long time...! But you _know_ that, so...** He then cut off into some coughing.

"Sonic, are you okay? Have you been in Londoon all this time!?"

**N-No...I've only been here an hour or so. It's a long story, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay... I'm going to be home soon, I promise.**

Amy's voice was cracking as she tried to fight back tears, "Thank Chaos...! I was so worried, I thought...N-Nevermind what I thought. You're coming home."

**I am...Be sure to let everyone else know. I'm sure they'll want to know too.**

"Obviously...!"

**Okay... I need to get back to helping Venice with something important, but I'll try to call you again later, okay?**

"O-Okay... I'll talk to you later, Sonic...! Love you!"

The phone clicked off, and Amy placed it down slowly.

"See? I told you it would be alright..." Cosmo reminded, giggling as Amy wrapped her arms tightly around her neck in an embrace. "It's going to be alright... Sonic's coming home..."

Amy sniffled, just clinging to her friend and resting her head on her shoulder. "Sonic's coming home...!"

* * *

"For somebody that hadn't spoken to their beloved in months, that was a pretty short conversation."

Sonic sighed as he looked up from the phone, "...I don't want to tip them off just yet... You guys don't have to be helping me like this."

"Your life is at risk, of course we're going to help you."

"But this puts _you_ at risk _too_."

Venice shrugged it off, and then turned as the wooden floor creaked under someone else's feet. "Good morning, Amanda."

The winged hedgehog smiled as she walked over to them and gave a nod, "Good morning Venice...Arthur."

Sonic smirked as she called him by the nickname he'd borne in another world...Another time.

Standing next to Amanda was Caliburn, the sentient sword that had served as his mentor and friend, and was also the last living member of the Round Table. He and Amanda were the last known living inhabitants of Camelot prior to it's destruction by time, simply because Caliburn had returned to his stone and Amanda had been cursed with a spell that turned her to stone, until Tails was able to lift the spell in modern day. Sonic had gifted Caliburn to Amanda, naming her his official caretaker, and the pair had been inseparable ever since.

"How're you feeling?" Sonic inquired.

"Much better... But right now, I'm more concerned about _you_. Why are these cretins after you so?"

Sonic sighed as he got up from his chair, "I was a witness to something they did, and they don't want witnesses. When Eggman was attempting to take over, I guess they decided that they'd let me deal with him and then they'd kill me, but now that he's gone-"

"You are their primary objective." Caliburn concluded, and the hedgehog nodded in confirmation.

"I'm not up to full-strength yet, but I couldn't be away from my family any longer." Sonic overlooked the images on the computer screens, of the ongoing relief efforts around the world. "...Fortunately, the world looks like it's healing."

"It'll take time, but we're getting there."

Amanda placed a hand on his shoulder, "...We will rise up stronger now."

Sonic smirked, "Yeah...Now I just have to find a way back overseas without the hunters noticing..."

"Yes..."

Caliburn hopped up to the screens, "Traveling without your location being known was much easier when the world didn't have those mechanical gliders taking photos at all times."

"They're called Satellites, Cal."

"Right... If it weren't for the fact that I myself am a talking sword, I probably would not have believed such a contraption could exist...Actually, I would not have believed almost everything that this world has created during my time in sleep."

"It has certainly changed... For the better in some ways, and for the worse in others..."

Amanda placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "We'll figure something out... History has shown us all that no matter how _impossible_ the situation, Sonic the Hedgehog _always_ finds a solution."

Sonic grinned, placing his hand over hers. "Right... I just have to use my _head_ this time, and not my legs..."


	4. Chapter 4

Tails had said he'd only make one loop around the town, but as the memories of flights passed returned to the front of his mind, and he found himself on autopilot. An hour had passed before he realized how long he'd been just gliding over hills and rivers all over Green Hill Valley. He had missed this, more than he cared to admit, but he had to get back to work.

As he came back to the workshop and the X-Tornado came gliding down the runway to a stop, he saw Cosmo had returned.

"You're flying again...!"

Tails smiled a little as he climbed out of the X-Tornado, and found Shadow also waiting for him. "Hey, Rosebud." he greeted with his special nickname for her, accepting a hug around the neck. "Yeah... Shadow convinced me to go out for a little bit."

"Well she came back here _way_ too happy for my tastes," Shadow informed, "And she wouldn't tell me why unless _you_ were here."

Tails raised an eyebrow, looking to the excited seedrian. "Cosmo?"

Cosmo giggled, her eyes wide. "Sonic called Amy," she whispered, "he's alive!"

"What?"  
Shadow grabbed her arms, shaking her gently. "What did he say? Is he alright? Where is he?"

"Aww, you _do _care." Tails teased, "But seriously though, where _is_ he?"

"He didn't exactly say, but he told us that he's on his way home." Cosmo's grin widened, "Oh Tails, you should have seen Amy's face when she heard his voice... She was so happy...!"

Tails smiled back, stroking his girlfriend's cheek, "I can imagine it was the same as when I woke up that first morning and saw you really were back with me..." He kissed her forehead as she giggled, and then turned towards Shadow. "What's that frown for?"

Shadow stroked his chin, "I don't know... Something just feels...Off." Shadow then shook his head, "it's probably nothing... I should get back to GUN HQ. Contact me if you hear anything more from him."

"Of course, Shadow."  
Tails watched the black and red hedgehog hurry off and then turned towards the workshop. "Well, I'd best get back to work."

"Oh no, you don't."  
Cosmo grabbed his arm and stopped him, "You've been running yourself ragged trying to find Sonic for weeks, Tails. Now that we know he's okay, I think you should get some rest."

"But..." Tails looked at the seedrian's concerned face and then sighed with a smile. "...I never _could_ argue with you, could I?"

"No..."  
Cosmo led him away from the workshop and towards the house, "...We'll have plenty of time to be running around after Sonic later. I'm sure he's fine."

* * *

Back at GUN, everything seemed to be business as usual. The rushing about and constant entering and exiting of soldiers and medical personnel had slowed to a normal pace, now that the majority of the disaster relief was behind them, but the scars of the attacks, even on the base itself, still lingered in broken stone and dust lingering on the edges of the facility, and in the stitched up tears in some uniforms not yet replaced since the event.

Officers saluted Shadow as he entered the compound, and he returned it, but rather than going straight towards the office he'd been occupying for several months, he went first to the science department level; there was someone there he wanted to talk to. On his way, he passed the indoor training yard, where he saw Rouge and Omega sparring against each other. He could hardly wait to get out of the stuffy buildings and be back in action alongside them.

The faint smell of cleaner hung in the air of the science department, some spots on the floor still wet from being mopped. Only one light was on in the wing he entered, of course, she was still working. There wasn't a single member of the family that got the suggested amount of sleep on a daily basis. He opened the door, knocking on the wall to alert the human working of his presence. "Knock knock, Mari."

His sister paused in her studying, lifting her eyes from the microscope she'd been using. "Shadow, what a surprise." She removed her gloves and then brushed her bangs out of her face. "What's up? you don't come down here just to say 'Hi' very often."

"It smells down here." Shadow teased, his smile vanishing after a moment. "Actually, Maria... I was needing someone to bounce ideas off of, and Rouge is busy. Anyways, I just received word that Sonic is in fact still alive."

"Well, good for _him_." Maria cheered, "I had a feeling that Ivo wasn't quite as clever as he thought he was."

"It's just... If he's been alive all this time, why only tell us _now_? Why make us worry all this time?"

Maria shrugged, scribbling something down in her notepad. "You knew him far better than me, Shadow..." She tapped her pencil on the paper for a moment and then turned back to him. "...Who else is_ still_ his adversary?"

"What?"

"I mean...You and Silver are both people who started out as adversaries of his, but then became friends or at least allies. It's the same with some of the other people he's encountered, like Chaos..."

"But we were all duped into being his adversaries. I mean sure, I was kinda in a bad place anyway when Eggman woke me up, but we all thought we were doing the right thing... I know Dark Gaia still probably doesn't like him much, but I don't believe he'll be an issue again for quite some time... You think he's still hiding from someone?"

"I'm just saying that _I_ was in hiding for a long time because I knew that they might find out that I survived, thanks to Grandfather's serum, and I didn't have a method of defense if they managed to find me."  
Maria stood up, brushing her hands off on her lab coat. "GUN _must_ have a file on him, with him being such a powerful Chaos user. Maybe that'll yield more answers."

Shadow nodded slowly, "Perhaps... I'll look into it. Thank you, Maria."

Maria grinned, "Happy to help, Shadow. Now off you go, I have some more work to do before my supervisor comes back from lunch."

Shadow smirked, and then left the lab as his sister returned to her research. There was no denying it, she was a Robotnik, through and through.

He hurried back up to the Archives, pausing at the desk outside of it. "Private Galaxino."

The skunk stood up and saluted, "Sir."

"I need to look at some secure files. I'm told you have access to those files."

"Yes, Sir." The private unlocked the door to the Archives and then opened it. "After you, Sir."  
Shadow entered the dimly-lit room, surrounded by the smell of paper and towering filing cabinets in neat, straight rows. "What exactly are you desiring to see, Sir?"

"I need to see the files for Chaos Strongs, most importantly, Sonic the Hedgehog's."

"Of course, Sir. Right this way, Sir."  
The skunk led Shadow through the rows, pausing at the wall and then tapping it.

**Access Restricted. Identification Required. **A voice informed.

"Private Honesty Galaxino, requesting access to Secure Information Vault 16 for Project Shadow."

**...Access Granted.**

Shadow watched as a door opened into an elevator and then they both stepped inside. "I was not aware that there was an elevator in here."

"Restricted Access, Sir." Private Galaxino replied with a smile as the door closed and they then went down. "...You are surprised a Private has access to such a place."

"I have read your file, Private. You've worked for GUN for many years and yet declined many promotions. Why?"

"The less important I am, the safer my _own_ secrets are, Sir..."

Shadow wasn't certain how many floors they descended, but when they stepped back out, the room was very cold. A large computer stood in the center of the room, humming softly as they walked up to it.

"Okay..." Private Galaxino began typing rapidly on the keys, "...Sonic the Hedgehog... Full file... Here."

The screen lit up with dozens of news articles, reports on Sonic's activities and battles, even copies of receipts from when he purchased something.

"Damn... GUN was watching him closer than I thought." Shadow whispered.

"As one of the five strongest Anthro Chaos wielders on the planet, his exploits always had the chance of being a threat to GUN security. Keeping up to tabs with his activity was a priority."

"It'll take me _hours_ to get through all of this...Wait, five?" Shadow turned to the skunk, "There's me, Silver, Sonic, the Guardian of Angel Island... Is Tikal on that list now?"

"No, sir. The fifth on the list is a subject referred to in the files as Mephiles Solaris."

"Mephiles... Show me the file."  
Private Galaxino obeyed, and another file appeared on a secondary screen, and Shadow's eyes widened. "I don't believe it..."

"Is he a reason for concern, Sir?"

"No...At least, I don't think so. I'll look into this further later, right now I need to figure out more about Sonic."


	5. Chapter 5

A powerful thunderstorm shook the cathedral where Sonic stayed, the walls rattling but standing strong against the wind and rain. The power flickered from time to time, but it did nothing to stop the hedgehog's pondering of a plan, something he usually left to Tails.

Over the months that had passed, he had had a _lot_ of time to think about his life, and what he'd done with it up until now. When he really stopped, something that had been rare, he realized that as much as he was _called_ a hero in the tabloids and by the people... He really hadn't _acted_ much like one.  
He pounded robots into the ground and blew up Eggman's bases all the time, but was he ever there to help clean up the mess he left? Or to lend aid to the people whose homes and lives were uprooted by those attacks? Up until the bombings, he could hardly think of a time when he hadn't given a bow and then took off into the sunset.

Shadow was the one left helping clean up the messes, pulling victims out of the rubble. He must've brought up this topic many times, but Sonic hadn't listened to his rival, he'd been basking in the glory.

"...I'm no hero..." He whispered, leaning back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling of the library. "...I'm just a guy who likes to go fast...And get the thrill of fighting."

"You see that now..."

Sonic turned his head to look at Amanda as she entered the room, taking the stick and poking the fire roaring in the fireplace. "...I was pretty upset when you left Camelot in such a hurry. I thought you were being selfish..." She bent down, the firelight dancing in her eyes. "...but it was_ I_ who was being a selfish child, not understanding just how little time we had left even if you had stayed."

Sonic got up, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "But you lost your entire world...Everything here in the present is beyond anything Camelot had."

"Indeed... It's been two years and I'm still astounded by things that my neighbors seem ordinary. Filtered water, for example. Something you take for granted unless you've been without it."

She grinned, wrapping one wing around him. "You helped me find my new family here...And now I'm going to help you get back to _yours_."

"Thank you... How do you suggest we do that?"

"We need to find a safe place for a pass-off. Have your friends meet us there, and then we can get you transferred into their hands without anyone ever knowing we were there."

"That may be our best chance... But I don't want you or Venice getting hurt in all of this."

"We'll be fine, Sonic... I didn't spend hundreds of years as a statue and the waking up in a whole different world to just hide up in this cathedral all day doing nothing, and Archeology, as much as I love it, can become a little tedious."

Sonic grinned, and then wrapped an arm around the hedgehawk's neck, "Thank you, Amanda... Your parents would be so _proud_ of you."

"I know... Now," She stepped back, "get some sleep. We have more work to do in the morning..."

Sonic nodded, and then after she'd left the room, he curled back up on the couch under the blanket, staring upward at the ceiling. "...Don't worry guys... I'll be home soon..."

* * *

"Tower."

The man looked up from the papers he'd been overlooking, slowly resuming his post after the attack all those months ago. He hadn't expected to see Shadow just standing in the doorway, looking miffed and his quills a little unkempt as he marched up to the desk. "Shadow, did you get any sleep last night?"

"No Sir." Shadow placed his hands on the desk, leaning across it. "Tower, what do you know of _Project Kintobor_?"

Tower's eyes widened just a bit, and then he lifted a hand. "Before you get angry with me Shadow, you should know that _Project Kintobor_ was commissioned by the Commander _before_ me, Commander Reagan. I had no hand in that project's development."

Shadow's ears folded back, "I had the right to know that he was always intended to destroy me!"

"But he _didn't_, did he?" Tower chuckled, "That hedgehog was _never_ one to follow instruction, always following his own intuition and whimsy... They_ all_ were."

"Tower, this is serious... Sonic is still alive."

That got Tower's attention. "Are you absolutely certain?"

"I am. We received confirmation yesterday afternoon."

Tower stood up from this chair, eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Then we do _indeed_ have a problem... Because they think Phase 1 was completed."

"I saw the files, Tower. The project was decommissioned after the two of us stopped the ARK, but those that worked on the project have either gone missing, or they've all been terminated mysteriously... _Somebody_ wants there to be no trace of it and nobody left to talk about it."

"I know... It's been on my mind ever since Eggman's tyranny was ended. If Sonic is still alive, then he may be the next target of these mysterious assassins. He knows more about what Project Kintobor was about than _I_ do."

Shadow gripped the edge of the desk tighter, "...We need to get him back here where we can keep tabs on him." His ears then perked up a little and he looked back up to the human, "Permission to go on an away mission?"

Tower chuckled, "You're the Commander, Shadow, remember?... But yes, I can handle things just fine if you have something important you must look into, this situation requires your level of diligence and I _know_ you're getting antsy sitting in an office all day. You're meant to be out there in the field."

"You know me too well."

"Well, Maria did talk about you a lot growing up."

Shadow nodded, "Thank you, Tower..."

"Might I ask where you're headed?"

"Timber Creek. There's someone there I need to check on... I shouldn't be long." Shadow then hurried out of the room.  
Shadow hurried down the halls towards the barracks, stopping when he found his teammates. "Rouge, Omega. Suit up, we have a mission."

"About time!" Rouge announced as she came over and punched his shoulder gently, "I missed having your grumpy butt with me."

**What is our destination?** Omega inquired. **Will it involve explosive violence?**

"Hopefully it won't come to that, but we need to check up on an old acquaintance of mine... Hopefully, he'll cooperate. But I can almost promise you some explosive violence on a later mission."

**I will accept that promise, as long as you do not disappoint me.**

Shadow nodded and then gave a hard exhale as he smiled just a bit. "...It's good to be back..."


End file.
